


Maxie, The Stranger

by Y0_mama



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: F/F, M/M, hydrophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 10:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4098127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Y0_mama/pseuds/Y0_mama





	Maxie, The Stranger

This was done by[ honeynutfemios](http://honeynutfemios.tumblr.com/) for [Team Maqua Fest](http://teammaquafest.tumblr.com/). Enjoy

Beta-Read by: coll-of-the-haunted and animenutcase

\---

NOTE: I do not own Pokemon. That belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.   
  
Two young tawny men in white and tan furs with green leaves accenting them were carrying a rock. One of them was much larger than the other, but the both seem to carry said rock with shaking arms. Following them were two women, also with dark skin. However, the smaller of the two women was pulling a fair skinned man with dark hair.  
  
Maxie was observing the people, writing them down on a sheet of paper. He had no idea there would be survivors of the maiden voyage of the Cresselia. But there he was, assimilating with the island natives.  
  
He seemed to be in decent condition, though he looked uncomfortable for some reason.  
  
He took a small boat by request of Ghetsis to explore the land of Hoenn. The natives smiled as they talked with the man Maxie was trying to remember the name of.  
  
“Привет.” The smaller man with the facial hair said as the fair-skinned man sat down, slowly and eyeing the man for only a second only to look away from the side.  
  
“Я лидер.” he continued on, as is beginning to monologue to the man.  
  
Maxie shook his head. They spoke a foreign tongue, but the linguistics didn’t add up. In fact, they sounded like they were speaking the tongue of the country up in the North West, Sinnoh. But why?  
  
“Вы можете называть меня Арчи.” the bearded man said with a smirk revealing shark teeth. He gestured towards himself, as he said this.  
  
“Archie?” The fair skinned man repeated.  
  
“Да. Отныне вы часть нашей группы.” The bearded man, Archie laughed.  
  
The fair skinned man flinched as Archie raised his hand.  
  
Maxie was about ready to take out his pistol. He was worried the reason they were carrying that rock was to hurt this poor last survivor of the Cresselia.  
  
Archie, as the small man addressed himself as, just put his hand over the fair skinned man’s shoulder. Maxie blinked.  
  
“Добро пожаловать друг.”  
  
The fair skinned man looked at Archie as his eyes widened.  
  
“Маттиас. Давайте продолжим наш поиск.” Archie addressed his larger counterpart.  
  
This larger counterpart, that Maxie read as ‘Mattias’, nodded.  
  
Maxie continued to jot this down. The other man helped Archie carry the rock.  
  
That’s when he noticed one of the women, the taller one, was holding her arm, as if pained by something. The smaller woman, who Maxie can pick up wearing flowers in her hair, was looking at her with the eyes of one who was concerned.  
  
Maxie was following them since he landed, as he saw the broken remains of the Cresselia floating around in the water. This was the first he saw of the island natives as he heard the fair skinned man struggle in the arms of the two women.  
  
What was that rock they were holding? And what does it have to do with the man?  
  
As Maxie journeyed behind them, being as stealthy as they were, he saw that soon the answer will be there for him.  
  
There, drawn in a cave, there were many rocks standing beside a drawn portrait of a blue beast. The beast obviously was that from the sea. Though, the monster itself actually looked like the familiar ‘King of the Oceans’ Kyogre that was said to have been extinct for thousands of years.  
  
The girls were dismissed by a simple command. Maxie hid, but not before the two of them recognized him.  
  
The smaller one whispered something in the ear of her tall counterpart. She nodded, her arm still being held up. Maxie finally noticed the taller woman’s arm was bleeding.  
  
“I... I mean no harm.” Maxie tried to say. But he was muffled mid sentence by a finger from the small girl.  
  
“Волосы крови ... Вы злоупотребляющих священного события. Почему?” she said with sorrow in her eyes.  
  
“No! No! I am Maxie.” he tried to assure them as he made the same gesturing towards himself.  
  
“Макси?” She looked to her tall companion for answers.  
  
Maxie adjusted his glasses.  
  
“Yes. Maxie. I mean no harm.” He tried to reassure the girl.  
  
“Я вас не понимаю ...” she began to cry.  
  
“Подождите! Он говорит язык Маттиаса "вторую половинку!” The tall one gasped as if she had an idea in her head.  
  
“После церемонии, давайте спросим его, чтобы перевести для нас!” The small one chirped ecstatically.  
  
Maxie didn’t understand this exchange of words, but he did recognize one thing; He was  pulled by the smaller one outside of the shrine.  
  
Maxie gulped as he tried to speak the tongue of Sinnoh to them.  
  
“Кто ты?”  
  
The two turned as if Maxie was saying something suddenly alien.  
  
Maxie gulped. He didn’t know what was happening.  
  
The tall one pushed her bleeding arm up against Maxie and pinned him there for about a minute before speaking.  
  
“Как вы говорите на нашем языке ?! Вы Норманн, волосы в крови?”  
  
“Pardon?!”  
  
“I knew it. He doesn’t speak the tongue of the North Men.” The tall woman said with a frown and a hiss.  
  
Maxie blinked. The tongues suddenly changed.  
  
“My Pipi, the Blood-Haired must leave. ” The tall one explained to the smaller one. She obviously eyed Maxie, internally questioning how she’d trust him. However, it was clear she wanted Maxie to hear this.  
  
The small one, ‘Pipi’ mustered ‘Shelly’ as she hugged her, pulling her away from Maxie.  
  
“Phoebe? Shelly?” Maxie guessed their names.  
  
Shelly pinned Maxie again, this time with her better arm.  
  
“I didn’t get bitten by an Absol for this!” Shelly snapped.  
  
“Absol? What is that?”  
  
Shelly, the tall one looked at Maxie like he was an idiot.  
  
“State your business, Stranger.” Shelly said in a huff.  
  
“I am from Unova. You see, I came to investigate the missing persons of the maiden voyage of the Cresselia.” Maxie tried to answer what ever Shelly was telling him.  
  
“Cresselia?”  
  
“Yes. The ship you picked up your friend from.”  
  
Shelly looked back at Phoebe.  
  
“Why even start speaking in the tongue of Sinnoh to people that weren’t born there?!” Shelly said back to Phoebe.  
  
“Translation?” Maxie stressed.  
  
He was getting sick of hearing these girls babble on about things he didn’t understand. He needed answers and he needed them now.  
  
“Stranger...” Shelly said.  
  
Finally! A word that he can understand!  
  
Shelly turned away, taking Phoebe with her back to the entrance to the cave Maxie followed them into.  
  
He tried to follow them back.  
  
“Hey! Wait! Why aren’t you back with your men? Isn’t it dangerous to...”  
  
“STRANGER! Leave us alone...” Shelly hissed at him.  
  
“My name is Maxie. I was trying to figure out what happened to the lost ship of the Cresselia. I am glad you can speak my tongue.” Maxie said with a grin.  
  
“Those barbaric Northmen from Sinnoh destroyed it. The point being that heavy fair-skinned man Archie is blessing with the help of our God, Kyogre.” Shelly replied.  
  
“So this cave is a shrine.” Maxie said nodding with acknowledgement.  
  
“Come with us. You aren’t supposed to be here and we have no place to bother our brother.”  
  
Maxie followed the girls back.  
  
“Something must have happened between you and the people from Sinnoh.”  
  
Shelly looked back.  
  
“Maxie, if not for them, we would not be searching for a new home.”  
  
Maxie paused for a moment to rethink everything they were trying to communicate with them, and why they were so hostile with him at first. In fact, at this point, they were still questioning him.  
  
“Your arm...” Maxie pointed it out.  
  
“A Pokemon bit me prior to our journey here. Sometimes the wounds open up again.” Shelly said softly.  
  
“Let me see it.” Maxie said with a worried expression.  
  
He quickly saw Shelly’s wounds. Though the jaw may seem small to him, the wound was very deep and if not for him, Shelly could not have survived further with it.  
  
“So Shelly. Why are you blessing the sole survivor of the Cresselia?” Maxie asked.  
  
Shelly looked at him with that expression that read that Maxie was an idiot once again.  
  
“A person that survived the seas deserves to have a blessing from Kyogre. Especially if he were to be betrothed to my brother.”  
  
“Bethrothed? But they’re both men!” Maxie gasped. While it was very taboo for two men to have intimate relations in Unova, if Sinnoh’s invading, that would mean the relationship is in jeopardy.  
  
“Matthias has found a life partner in him. He wants to care for him. He barely speaks the tongue I am speaking to you with, and he can not speak the tongue of the Northmen nor our tongue. I do not understand him. But he has been in love ever since we found him.” Shelly said to Maxie.  
  
Maxie looked at Shelly before Phoebe whispered to Shelly as she pointed behind Maxie. Maxie turned around.  
  
It seems the blessing ritual is complete. Not only did the survivor wear a crown of flowers and a lei, but he was drenched in water. He was asking to be put down as soon as he saw Maxie.  
  
“Shelly?” Archie asked her.  
  
She ran up and pushed Maxie towards him. She addressed Archie in a less familiar tongue.  
  
“Archie! Ko te manene ahau i awhina mai.”  
  
Archie looked at Maxie.  
  
“Ummm... Hello?”  
  
Archie began to laugh.  
  
“Привет!” Archie laughed.  
  
“No. I don’t speak... like the Northmen.” Maxie frowned.  
  
Archie blinked. Then he turned to Shelly looking lost.  
  
“Korero ia i te Te Tai Rāwhiti. Te hinaaro nei Oia ki te kite i te tetahi taimaha.” Shelly said  pointing at the fair skinned man.  
  
“Wahine marena hou a Mattias?” Archie blinked confused.  
  
“Ae.” Shelly replied.  
  
Archie pulled Maxie to the side.  
  
“Hear me out, stranger... If you hurt my brother’s mate, I will make sure you don’t even hear a thing again.” Archie said in a hiss.  
  
“I won’t hurt him. I just need a word from him.” Maxie said disturbed.  
  
“You’re fair... Like the Northmen. He is too. But unlike you, I know for sure he is pure. You? You look like the enemy.” Archie frowned as he told him this, pointing out the hand gun in his pocket.  
  
“I will tell you this. I am a foe of the Northmen. If you let me speak to him, I can see if he is as well.” Maxie said.  
  
Archie frowned.  
  
He turned to the larger man, Mattias. He seemed to be cuddling the nervous looking survivor.  
  
“Mattias. Ko te manene e hiahia ana ki te korero ki tou hoa.” Archie told him with honest words.  
  
Mattias let go of the survivor as he ran towards Maxie.  
  
“Gracias!”  
  
The survivor spoke with the tongue of the people South of Kalos. Maxie was nervous because he learned languages of Kalos for quite a bit.  
  
“Que paso, amigo?”  
  
The survivor looked away nervously.  
  
“Nosotros... fuimos atacados. Yo no sabía nadar pero yo abordaron el buque saber cómo llegar a un lugar seguro. Entonces, me encontraron. Por dias, nosotros caminamos a esta cueva. Bautizados, aqui estoy ahora.”  
  
“En Unovas?”  
  
The man looked at Maxie in surprise.  
  
“Aw, you got to be kidding me!” the man said in disappointment.  
  
“Yes. The language of Unova is indeed my native language. But now I know for sure that we can at least communicate another way. Now tell me, how did you get here?”  
  
“I told you. These guys found me when I was drowning and saved me. Then they took me to the cave for a baptism of sorts. Then I, Tabitha, am here to be someone’s husband?” the survivor, who addressed himself as Tabitha said in disappointment.  
  
Maxie was a little miffed. He was hoping for the information on how he got there. It sounded like he was asleep the whole time that the men from Sinnoh attacked.  
  
“I’m lucky to even be alive though. My guess is, if not for them, I wouldn’t have survived any longer.” Tabitha sighed, sounding more grateful as he was discussing about who he thought were his captors.  
  
“You all need to leave this island.” Maxie said in a matter of fact tone..  
  
“What? But... It’s their home!”  
  
“Sinnoh has been trying to take this island away from them. From the looks of it, you’ll be outnumbered.” Maxie tried to explain.  
  
“It’s their island.” Tabitha frowned as he told him this.  
  
Maxie understood this, but that was no excuse for the people of Sinnoh. They take what they think belongs to them. They can never understand how things work around here.  
  
“It’s either you and they die or we take them with us back to Unova. I know they are people too, but believe me... Cyrus does not.”  
  
Tabitha bit his lips looking back at his supposed spouse, Mattias.  
  
“Fine. If that means he’s safe then that is fine.”  
  
Maxie smirked. He was glad that talking to Tabitha was easy enough as it is. Though the question is... Will the islanders of Hoenn in their group understand?  
  
He decided to talk to Archie, who seemed like the leader of this group.  
  
“He’s all yours.” Maxie said as he pushed Tabitha back to Mattias.  
  
“He’s... Not mine?” Archie said looking at him with confusion.  
  
“I... Well, listen. You have to come with me back to my homeland.”  
  
“What? But why?” Archie asked with a defensive tone.  
  
“You are clearly outnumbered. Leave with us and we’ll be safe.” Maxie said as he reached his hands to Archie.  
  
“Outnumbered... You’re talking... of the Northmen?” Archie blinked in confusion as he questioned Maxie further.  
  
“Yes... Yo--”  
  
Maxie was interrupted by Shelly.  
  
“We do know of them. Are you telling us we can’t defeat him?” Shelly asked.  
  
“Yes. We can’t. Not without help that is.”  
  
“How do you know for sure?” Archie asked Maxie.  
  
“I am from people that are battling the region of Sinnoh. These people have taken your lands away, correct?” Maxie asked him.  
  
Archie looked away pondering, as if considering his words.  
  
“This isn’t an offer. This is a demand. You and your little family need to come with me or else.” Maxie as he leaned closer to Archie.  
  
Shelly looked at Archie with worried eyes.  
  
“Archie...”  
  
“Fine. But know this. We need to return here once we get those people off my land. Promise?” Archie said with a huff.  
  
Maxie smiled. Archie was an influential leader but he is easy to impress. After all, he was already caught off guard by the fact despite all of the enemies made from Sinnoh, Archie and Shelly became more trusting of him. He hoped that he keeps their trust even further, especially now.  
  
Maxie sat in the boat with his newfound companions.  
  
As ‘Mattias’ pushed the boat away from land with his arms, Maxie thought something very odd... not to mention unfortunate.  
  
Archie, Matt, Shelly, and Phoebe? They will have to explain themselves and acquire documentation for their citizenship. Once more, if they don’t succeed, they’ll be exiled. Maxie was getting worried for Archie. He didn’t think he forgot to think his plan to protect everyone through. He gulped nervously. He was in for a wild ride.  
  
Though, soon he began to doze off into a small nap, only to be awoken by the rocking of the boat they were in and a voice crying his name.  
  
“Maxie! Maxie!”  
  
It was Archie. He shivered as he can hear the thunder crack.  
  
“Archie?”  
  
“Maxie... Mattias is taking care of Tabitha. Shelly with Phoebe. But you? You have nobody else on this boat, right?”  
  
Maxie looked down. Water was getting into the boat from below. His eyes widened.  
  
“We’ll be able to swim for a short period of time before we drown unless we call for the aid of the water Pokemon.” Archie told Maxie as he took out what looked like a conch, grabbing Maxie by the waist with his free hand.  
  
Maxie saw Archie blow on the conch as it made a loud, booming noise.  
Maxie covered his ears. It was painful to hear.  
  
“Will the Pokemon here really aid us?” Maxie asked disgusted.  
  
“I have faith in the descendants of Kyogre.” Archie said.  
  
Maxie looked down in awe. It was the largest beast he had ever seen coming from the sea, and he closed his eyes. He thought it would be over. Everything he had written for the people in Unova... Ghetsis... His son, N... Everyone would sure know that he had done everything he could to protect the natives of Hoenn from Cyrus and his men, only to have been eaten by a beast.  
  
He could hear screaming as well in the cracks of both waves and lightning. Maxie would have lost the last survivor of the Cresselia. He could only snivel and cry. Had the storm calmed and the raindrops gotten lighter, he’d have a chance to swim away with Archie in tow.  
  
He prayed for Arceus to save them from the monster in the sea.  
  
And yet, Archie and his three allies had said nothing.  
  
Maxie opened his eyes to see that this Pokemon, despite being a behemoth of a creature, was harmless and unwavered by the storms above it. He just kept pushing the six of them up to the surface. Other Pokemon flew above the creature as he began to echo the sound of the conch.  
  
They were moving forward, to where Unova would be.  
  
Maxie pointed at the beast below them to Archie.  
  
“W-what is this?” Maxie asked.  
  
Archie laughed.  
  
“You never seen a Wailord before?”  
  
“A Wailord?”  
  
Maxie began going back to his sketchbook. While it was waterlogged the ink began to separate away from its original path in the booklet, Maxie was able to grasp that he had written nothing about Pokemon being discovered.  
  
How odd...  
  
“Wasn’t your mission to find the survivor of the Cresselia? What’s that book for?” Archie asked worringly.  
  
“Oh? This?”  
  
Maxie looked up at Archie. His glasses were dripping wet with the raindrops blurring his view, but he was pretty sure he was talking to Archie.  
  
“I... I was hoping to send some submissions for the Pokemon Index that the professors in my homeland are developing. I have never seen a Wailord before. This may be a perfect opportunity to make an effort and take notes on any new Pokemon I made on this journey along the way.” Maxie said nervously.  
  
“Close that book fast; You don’t want it to get even more soaked.” Archie said still looking at the book curiously.  
  
Maxie had never had anyone pay close attention to him before. Then again, he lived in a place were books were commonplace.  
  
He turned to Tabitha. He was still shivering, but he found comfort in Mattias’ arms. It was far from warm and dry, but Tabitha did not seem to care.  
  
Shelly winced in pain. The salt water from the ocean followed by the rain must be making things worse for her arm. Phoebe was grabbing onto it, as a mix of raindrops and blood trickled down her hand. Phoebe was sniveling in tears. Shelly used her better arm to coo her and tell her things will be alright.  
  
“How fast does Wailord go?”  
  
“Wailord? Sad to disappoint you, but not as fast as the small and nimble Sharpedo.” Archie replied as he pointed out the blue fins that were peaking out of the water.  
  
Maxie was astonished.  
  
“Will it take days, perhaps?”  
  
“Perhaps.”  
  
Maxie was still worried how the people of Unova will treat them. However, knowing they still saved him and Tabitha would probably assuage it for a little longer. After all, there has to be more reason to distrust their new allies than just by their foreign lifestyle. Then again, Unova made their fortune on originally being people from Kalos colonizing another land and making it their own. Even so, the few surviving natives had a significant role in the discovery and preserving of endangered Pokemon in the region. Still, the fact that lives were claimed in the name of Kalos showed that history could repeat itself.  
  
As the storm passed over them, and the sun slowly risen above them, Maxie saw that they were still not anywhere near Unova.  
  
He looked towards everyone who were starting to dry up.  
  
“Shelly, give me your arm.” Maxie said as he gestured for it.  
  
Shelly looked away as she did.  
  
Phoebe watched carefully this time. Maxie took out the bandages, which were still sanitary and pristine in his bag, and began to wrap around Shelly with a firm enough grip where her arm can still circulate blood.  
  
“Where did you get your healing equipment?” Phoebe asked.  
  
“Well, I am merely a scholar at Ghetsis’ university. These items are merely important for survival in the wilderness.” Maxie replied in a matter of fact tone.  
  
“Who is Ghetsis?” Phoebe asked.  
  
“He’s... what you call a ruler. An emperor if you will.” Maxie said.  
  
“Is he kind?”  
  
Maxie went silent. N, or Natural Harmonia Gropius, fit the word ‘kind’ very well. He is very interested in hearing Maxie’s discoveries on his missions for Ghetsis. His father, on the other hand was quite the opposite of that. With that being said, he didn’t get any control over the government entirely. In fact, there is a council that filters Ghetsis’s iron tongue.  
  
How would he explain to Phoebe that he is rethinking how he feels about Ghetsis at this moment?  
  
It didn’t matter. Everyone was tired from swimming in the storm. While they’re cold and wet, sleeping was the only solution right now. At this point, the sun is the blanket for them to sleep with at this point.  
  
Maxie was nervous about the tour of the region to Archie and his companions. He didn’t know what rules they could break. This new world they’ll be in could also exhaust them, or worse. Maxie just tried to shrug it all off, as after all, they’ll be a big day ahead of them soon.  
  
As the sun set, Maxie opened his eyes. Archie’s arm was over him. Maxie could blush somewhat. What drew Archie to Maxie aside from the others?  
  
He turned to Mattias and Tabitha. The two of them were huddling up for warmth. Though, Tabitha, sun-burnt and very irritated, seemed reluctant to accept any kisses from Mattias. They were on this Wailord now for a whole day. And luckily, no storms were going to hit them today.  
  
He turned to Shelly and Phoebe. They too were huddling for warmth. Phoebe was now extra careful with Shelly’s arm. Maxie could sigh with relief that warmth was the least of their worries.  
  
Then he began to address Archie, but with a soft whisper, “Hey. When does Wailord need to move back underwater?”  
  
Archie’s eyes widened, as if he had a revelation of some kind. Maxie began to look at him nervously, as if his epiphany was about the Wailord itself.  
  
As the Wailord cried, Archie stood up.  
  
“Maxie, look behind you.”  
  
Maxie turned around to see lit up ships, showing the banner of Unova. Maxie’s eyes widened as they later began to water. How long was he really been looking for everyone? What was this meaning to him?  
  
He jumped up and waved his arms.  
  
“AHOY!”  
  
Archie looked towards the ships with his curiosity.  
  
“I’ve never seen boats this size before!” Archie said in awe as the ships moved closer to them.  
  
“They’re called ‘ships’ where I come from.” Maxie said with a smile.  
  
Archie can only smile before he whispered in his ear.  
  
“I think I’m in love...”  
  
Though Maxie frowned after that.  
  
“We’ve only been with each other for only one day. You’ll grow to hate me eventually.” Maxie said as he pushed Archie away.  
  
Archie blinked. He didn’t know what he meant.  
  
Maxie only turned red. Maxie did not want to fall in love. Not after his heart was broken already. However, he’d give Archie a chance. It’ll have to be after they landed in Unova however. Besides, Archie didn’t seem like he’d take no for an answer, but at the same time not in the way Ghetsis would.  
  
Days passed as they were on the boat, and finally Maxie had to pop the question.  
  
“How long was Tabitha with you guys?”  
  
Archie looked at him.  
  
“You mean the bride? I’d say for a season.”  
  
“A season...”  
  
Three months. So Tabitha was traveling with the four natives of Hoenn, struggling to find shelter and hide from Cyrus’s men for three whole months. Maxie could say he was surprised. For Tabitha, it sounded it was a whole week. Then again, it made sense. The news that hit that the Cresselia was missing was only around for a couple days before Maxie landed in Hoenn.  
  
That would mean that there would be a chance for Tabitha to incubate any bacteria or viruses enough for him to be sick or worse, dead. However, Tabitha seemed fine and the only complaint he had was that he could barely understand what his new family were saying most the time. He hypothesized that they grew fond of Tabitha on their journey to bless him, and Mattias himself was in love with Tabitha, just like how Archie was with him.  
  
Speaking of bacteria and viruses, if Tabitha didn’t get any of them sickly either, there was a chance the men from Sinnoh have killed Archie’s friends and whatever other family that Maxie couldn’t see with their guns, germs, and steel. It made sense, somewhat, that the few that were in peak physical condition would be the survivors that were smart enough to escape.  
  
This meant a lot to Maxie, as he began writing in his journal again, and drawing diagrams of everyone. He was growing fascinated again. He did not realize how he’d fall in love with Archie’s world, as from the beginning, he only thought of him as a stranger.  
  
When he heard someone bellow, “LAND HO!”, Maxie had to put away his material and confirm if they found their way back to Unova or not.  
  
As Maxie looked towards the direction the ship itself was heading, he can gladly say he was home again.  
  
Archie followed him up the deck, he was in awe. Unova’s land was riddled with grassland as the city itself was the beginning of evidence for Archie that Unova was indeed powerful. Maxie turned to the others. Phoebe began to cough understandably, as the smoke from chimneys across the city of Castelia would not be healthy to breath in at this time. However, they already survived Sinnoh’s colonization tactics. Unova should not be any different for them.  
  
Archie looked towards Maxie.  
  
“Shall I give you the tour?” Maxie asked.  
  
Archie nodded enthusiastically, and all Maxie could do was gesture at Archie to follow him.


End file.
